Earlier this week I made some amazing steak fries and I needed a dipping sauce for them that was equally as epic. Plain old ketchup was just not going to do, so I made some Comeback Sauce. Comeback Sauce is a creamy, tangy, sweet, and savory sauce that’s great for dipping, dunking, drizzling, and smearing onto just about any food. It’s not called “comeback sauce” for nothing. It will keep you coming back for more. And more. And MORE. (I “accidentally” ate an entire bunch of broccoli in one sitting, thanks to this delicious sauce.)
Pictured with Oven Roasted Broccoli.
What is Comeback Sauce?
This unique sauce is said to have originated in a Greek restaurant in Mississippi, but it quickly spread throughout the entire south. The original sauce had a base of mayonnaise and Heinz Chili Sauce (a tomato-based sauce not to be confused with Sweet Chili Sauce), plus some other seasonings. There are many interpretations of this addictive sauce, with each person putting their own spin on the original as it spread across the region. Because Heinz Chili Sauce is not something I keep in my pantry, I made a few substitutions to create a similar flavor profile using items that I keep on hand, and in the process put the Budget Bytes stamp on the classic comeback sauce. ;)
What Do You Serve it With?
What can you not serve it with is probably a more appropriate question! It’s a fantastic all-purpose dip for things like roasted potatoes or vegetables (shown with roasted broccoli), fried foods like french fries, chicken fingers or nuggets, tuna patties, BBQ Wings, fish sticks, or chips. It’s also great smeared onto burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, or wrap sandwiches. I wouldn’t be opposed to using this as a salad dressing, or using it to make an extra flavorful batch of coleslaw!
Comeback Sauce
Servings 5 2 Tbsp eachIngredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise ($0.80)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp hot sauce* ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Check out these other homemade sauces:
How to Make Comeback Sauce – Step by Step Photos
Combine ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp ketchup, 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, 1/8 tsp hot sauce, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and ⅛ tsp salt.
Stir the ingredients together until smooth. Serve or refrigerate until ready to eat!
Shown with roasted broccoli – toss broccoli in oil, then roast at 400ºF for about 30 minutes, or until you reach your desired level of brown.
What a great and easy to pull together addition to a meal. We used it for fries, but I could see many other uses. My only question is about the inflection of the name. Is it comeback like that was a great comeback to that comment, or come back like please come back because I miss you? Thanks for a great recipe.
I’m going to try making this soon. Do you think fish sauce would be a good substitute for the Worcestershire?
Hi Colin, I don’t think fish sauce is a good sub for the Worcestershire sauce. They taste very different, IMHO. If you don’t have Worcestershire, I’d just make the sauce without. There are a lot of other flavors in this sauce so I think it will still be delicious.
Didn’t mean to reply to your comment. ☠️ Sorry!
Yum! I served these with sweet potato fries and pickle-brined chicken tenders and it was delicious with both!
Most people describe comeback as “Thousand Island with a kick.” It is great with onion rings!
I was so skeptical about this recipe! But I made a meatloaf last night and when it came out of the oven I realized I was all out of not only Heinz 57, but A-1 as well. I decided in desperation to give it a shot.
No need to buy either of those items again! Wow this was so good! Today I mixed it with canned tuna and made a scrumptious tuna melt with it.
Very tasty sauce! I used it as the sauce for a cheeseburger pizza but I can definitely see some other delicious options.
What would you sub for Worcestershire if you were making for a vegetarian? A little soy? With some citrus?
That’s a tough one, since Worcestershire is so unique. In some recipes I do a little soy sauce and brown sugar to mimic its sweetness, but since it’s such a small amount in this recipe I’m not sure if that would work quite the same. I’d need to do some testing to see what works before offering a recommendation.
Annie’s makes a vegan Worcestershire sauce that you can find at Whole Foods!
I didn’t have vegan Worcestershire, so I subbed a scant half tablespoon of tamari with a pinch of cloves and two pinches of Brown sugar. I don’t know if it was exactly the same, but I thought it worked well!
My vegetarian sub for any recipe that calls for worcestershire sauce is Maggi Seasoning. It comes in liquid for in a bottle and works just the same, measure for measure. Here in Ontario, it is usually found in the aisle where Asian foods are found.
Tasty as written! Thank you!
Made this last night to accompany my air fried “blooming onion.” It was the perfect accompaniment! To cut the calories next time I might try subbing half the mayo for Greek yogurt but only because I have this weird need to try to make things a smidge healthier if I can – not because there was thinking lacking in flavor. :)
Hey Sam…how about starting your own recipe blog if you don’t particularly like what this lady has? Pi*#@*$ me off when someone says ….it was good but I added my own little special touches to it. It’s either good or bad. People aren’t interested in your special touches. Just saying what Beth is too nice to say!
I actually appreciate it when people share how they modified a recipe (whether good or bad). :) It helps other people learn how they can change things up to meet their personal needs. Cooking is all about making it work for you.
This is SOOOO good. Had them with veggie burgers and I just wanted more.
Hello Beth
How long would the sauce last in fridge, please.
Thank you
I don’t have an exact answer for that because it can depend a lot on the freshness of each individual ingredient and the conditions inside your fridge, so a “better safe than sorry” answer is five days, but your mileage may vary. :)
This is wonderful sauce made with basic pantry staples. A great addition to so many foods
beth, this sauce is brilliant! i’ve made it twice and have used it on burgers once and with fish tacos last night. i’m going to make it again today to have with left over broccoli. it’s easy to throw together with basic pantry ingredients and tastes delicious. thank you!
Ingenious! Such a simple recipe. I will definitely try to do it.
I was excited to try this sauce based on Beth’s excitement and the reviews, but I was disappointed. I’ve heard that the American palate is a little band and partial to fats (like mayo or mild cheese), but I’ve never had that experience with a budget bytes recipe before. I found the end result too creamy and flat. I didn’t want it to go to waste so, to add a bit more depth to the flavour, I added some BBQ sauce (I would sub this for the ketchup if I were making it again), some plain Greek yogurt (I would do half yogurt/half mayo when making it again), and tripled the hot sauce. It was great on bbq’d broccoli and sweet potato.
Heinz Chili Sauce would add more depth of flavor to the recipe but your add ons sound good also.